Sunday marks 4 weeks since Jason and I welcomed our baby girl! We are so in love and are adjusting well to our now family of 5! Sunday also marks 2 weeks until I will be cleared for working out.

Let me get real here for a moment. I am excited to get back in the gym and get active after being a sloth the 2nd half of my pregnancy but I am also fearful! Starting off this pregnancy 'fit' absolutely helped me to maintain balance through out it. I was able to keep my weight gain to 15lbs and lost all 15 within 1 week. However, because I had so much lean muscle mass prior to pregnancy and also was not lifting weights like I was I know I also am up against a lot of muscle loss. I titled this blog post what I did because that is basically what I am doing. Starting from square one. I spent years eating and working out with competing in mind. Packing on as much muscle as I could to be able to stand up on a stage and compete with other women. As much of an awesome experience that was, and the years I spent doing it were some of the most pivotal moments in my life, it was never my long term goal. That's the amazing thing about goals, they are ever changing.

So what now? My body doesn't look the same, my fitness level is not the same and my motivation level is not the same. I spent almost 8 years in competition mode of some sort competing in 5 figure bodybuilding competitions, running 5k's and being active with my Husband and kids. I need to be realistic in the new goals I set for myself. I am now a Mom of 3 kids. 11, 8 and 4 weeks. I am also a business owner and train & coach clients. My time is stretched thin as it is so it's important for me to make small, obtainable goals in order for me to stay motivated and continue on the path of my long term one. This is not just advice for new Moms, its my advice for anyone starting a new long goals.

I already know that the minute I am cleared by my doctor to resume activity I am going to pick up a weight and be discouraged by how heavy it feels. I also know that by being mentally prepared for this is what is going to push me past that discouragement and switch my brain response from feeling negative to feeling empowered knowing I have something to work for and towards.

A Harvard study showed that you are 90% more likely to accomplish a goal if you write it down. I thought in order to inspire others to set some goals I would share mine with you. Keep in mind these are my realistic, obtainable, short term post-pregnancy goals based on my ultimate goal which I will share in a later post!

In the next 30 days I WILL:

1. Complete 30 minutes of weight bearing physical activity 3x a week.2. Complete 2, 3-5 mile runs weekly.3. Consume 1800-2000 of clean calories 6 days a week. (I am currently breastfeeding so I have to increase my normal caloric intake to account of that.)4. Try 3 different new workout programs in the area to support local businesses. ( Orangetheory, Cycling & Piyo)

I encourage you to set short term goals and share them with an accountability partner. Don't give up on yourself if you have started a goal and failed to achieve it in the past. Anything worth having is hard, but it's not impossible!

If you are interested in goal setting, nutrition consultation or workout regimes I am currently accepting new clients. Email megan@emerge-studios.com for more information,